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REACTION OF SPERMATOZOA WITH UTERINE AND SERUM GLOBULIN DETERMINED BY IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE

A naturally-occurring, heat-stable serum factor reacting with homologous and heterologous spermatozoa has been demonstrated by immunofluorescence (Beck, Edwards & Young, 1962). The widespread incidence of the serum factor in both sexes of several species suggests that it may have some functional significance in sperm physiology. Spermatozoa do not normally contact blood serum but are suspended in fluids of the genital tract, which may contain protein of serum origin, for it has recently been shown that modified immune globulins pass into the rabbit genital tract (Kirton, Desjardins & Hafs, 1966). The oestrous uterus exerts a modifying effect upon spermatozoa; the change, termed capacitation, being a necessary preparation of spermatozoa for fertilization (Austin, 1951; Chang, 1951). In the rabbit capacitation may involve a surface change of the sperm head (Bedford, 1965), although the character of the process is not yet clear.